Tuesday, March 29, 2016

9:16 AM

Gov. Scott Walker endorsed Ted Cruz this morning, saying he is a constitutional conservative, is not afraid to take on "big-government special interests" even when they're aligned with Republicans, and is best positioned to win the GOP nomination and then beat Hillary Clinton in the fall.

Walker said on Charlie Sykes' talk show he wanted someone who was a principled, common-sense conservative who can win.

"It was an easy call for me to support Ted Cruz," Walker said.

Walker said he would campaign with Cruz through next week's primary.

"I'm all in," Walker said. "This is not a default."

Walker suggested last week a contested GOP election would likely result in party delegates selecting a nominee who was not currently in the field. Today, he predicted Cruz will win Wisconsin next week, putting him on the path to win the delegates needed to take the nomination outright.

Cruz, who had a rally this morning in Brookfield, aired the announcement live for the crowd before he took the stage.

During an appearance on Sykes' show yesterday, Trump defended his past comments that were critical of Wisconsin's economy, saying he pulled his facts from Time magazine.

Walker declined to take on Trump directly, saying he preferred to focus on what he liked about Cruz. Still, he ticked off a series of measures to back up his argument Wisconsin is doing well and said those voting in the GOP primary next week are aware of those facts.